Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. In this column, I’ll be highlighting some MS News Today stories from last week’s Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis…
technology
A portable MRI device may be used to detect brain lesions that are indicative of multiple sclerosis (MS), and serve as a low-cost imaging tool that can be brought to patients for testing, according to a new analysis. While the system is not yet accurate enough to be used…
Helius Medical Technologies will showcase its noninvasive Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device and provide training to physical therapists who are interested in using the device for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The company will explain the benefits of PoNS…
Datos Health, a remote care automation company, is collaborating with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, in Illinois, on a study that will gauge the effectiveness of remote therapy monitoring in patients with various conditions and disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, based in Chicago, provides…
Researchers were able to image the cerebellum — a small, compact region of the brain that plays key roles in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases — with greater clarity than ever before. Their imaging approach, which used MRI scanners equipped with powerful magnets, may help learn how…
Before multiple sclerosis (MS), I was pretty proud of my memory. For the most part, I still am, but like many others with this disease, I now have trouble recalling information. For me, it’s one of the most irritating, (sometimes even infuriating), cognitive issues associated with MS. I…
Uses of virtual reality-based physiotherapy to improve balance and gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are linked to lower dropout rates than those found with conventional rehabilitation methods, a review of clinical trials suggested. Although the difference between the two physiotherapy approaches was not statistically significant, adherence to…
Quanterix Corporation‘s laboratory test designed to measure blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) has been validated by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), an arm of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that regulates laboratory testing. The company now is planning to launch its laboratory developed test,…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Tongue stimulator now easier to obtain A Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) is a mouthpiece that mildly stimulates nerves in the tongue that…
Helius Medical Technologies has extended by six months a program that allows multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S. to access its Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device at a reduced cost. The Patient Therapy Access Program (PTAP) partly subsidizes the cost of using PoNS — an…
Multiple tiny injections of myelin-related small proteins alongside suppressors of the activity of dendritic cells, done using a device akin to a tattoo gun, powerfully reduced the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. That’s according to new findings announced by Therapeutic Solutions…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. now may order a Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device online through a new e-commerce site launched by the device’s developer, Helius Medical Technologies. The website, built in partnership with the telehealth company UpScript, marks the first time…
The European Investment Bank has entered a financial agreement with Numares Health to support further development of a fully automated platform to improve the diagnosis of chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The loan of up to €20 million (about $21 million) is expected to advance the…
Myelin, the fatty-rich material surrounding nerve fibers that’s progressively damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), provides metabolic support to a type of nerve cell in the brain that controls the activity of other nerve cells, a study discovered. Researchers showed mitochondria, the cell’s energy producers, are specifically clustered in…
Researchers have created a computer program that can simulate clinical trial responses for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which may improve clinical trial design for novel disease-modifying therapies. The tool, called MS TreatSim, was described in the study, “In silico clinical trials for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis…
A machine learning algorithm that incorporates genetic data alongside clinical and demographic information may be able to more accurately predict the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. “Once independently validated, the machine learning algorithm could enable clinicians to provide patients with more accurate prognostic information,…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: A medication that may ease sexual problems for women with MS Sexual dysfunction is common among people with MS, affecting up…
In a new collaboration, Brainomix will distribute in Europe a software solution developed by Pixyl that uses deep learning to improve the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS) via MRI scans. According to the partners, Pixyl‘s technology can detect abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging or MRI…
For the past few years, the company that brings us everything from books to basketballs has been experimenting with doing the same with medical care. Of course, it’s Amazon. In 2018, the company launched a project called Haven in partnership with a pair of financial giants, with the goal…
With a goal of better treatment and care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), Verana Health is developing a neurology module for disease research that includes de-identified and curated real-world data covering more than 30,000 MS patients. The digital health company is developing Qdata MS to…
Insurer Fountain Health now will fully cover Combinostics’ artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools to support the early detection, differential diagnosis, and prediction of progression in patients with neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision to cover the company’s cloud-based AI platforms, cMRI and cDSI,…
An upcoming observational clinical trial will assess how adherence to treatment with the portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) device, used in the clinic and later at home, improves gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Sponsored by Helius Medical Technologies, the device’s developer, the open-label Therapeutic…
Octave announced the commercial availability of a multiple sclerosis (MS) care program that examines various facets of a person’s disease to help determine the best course of treatment and management that’s tailored to an individual. The program, called MS Precision Care Solution, combines blood biomarker…
I’ve been feeling like a soccer mom the past month or so, even though I’m a 74-year-old guy. My wife and I are leasing a minivan, the go-to wheels of after-school sports parents. It also seems to be a great vehicle for someone with a disability like multiple sclerosis…
Tap speed — or how quickly one types on a smartphone keyboard — may be a useful tool for monitoring multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and detecting the transition to a progressive form of the disease, according to new research data. Results demonstrated that slower tapping speeds were linked to…
Jasmine Iona Brown was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2003 when she was pregnant with her son. Since then, the 50-year-old Tacoma, Washington, teacher has faced a number of challenges related to her MS diagnosis — fatigue, nerve pain, and cognitive issues. Her family, Brown said, was neither…
If you have multiple sclerosis (MS), you’ve probably had several MRIs “with” and “without.” The “with” means injecting a contrast agent containing gadolinium into a vein. The agent then travels into the brain, where it “lights up” areas of active inflammation that otherwise would be difficult or impossible…
GoodRx, in collaboration with Biogen, has made the enrollment form for starting a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient on Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) available on its new “Provider Mode” digital platform. By adding the electronic enrollment form, the company hopes doctors will be able to prescribe their patients Vumerity more…
A new tool that analyzes gait, or walking patterns, of people on a treadmill — using video recordings from a simple digital camera — is able to accurately identify those with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study showed. Scientists said the gait-analysis tool may be a low-cost and easy-to-use way…
Data passively collected by smartphone apps and fitness trackers can be used to accurately predict the risk of depression, severe fatigue, poor sleep quality, and symptom worsening in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) when in-person health visits are suddenly limited. These are the findings of a small study that…